Found Postcards

This postcard was sent to my mother in 1938 from relatives in Germany,  The writing is so fine & in old German, Mum can no longer read it.  She would have been 13 when she received it.  I think one of her daughters decided to add to its beauty by scribbling in pencil all over it!  Wasn't me, of course!

 When I turned it over, the postmark hit me - this was sent in June, 1938 - brings a bit of history to life.

Don't know when this one was sent.  They certainly did not waste space when writing on the cards, there is the smallest writing around the edge on the front of the card. This card was written by at least two different hands.

This would have to be my favourite - dated 1934 - Mum was only 9 years old & from the village where my Grandmother was born, Billingshausen.  Wish I could read what Tante Olga wrote to her neice, Olga in far away Australia.

Received Mail Art

 From Parys in Colorado - love the reflections.

From Jennifer - a very 'cool' card.

Mail Art - new series

This one is No: 2 in the Garden Series - photo transferred onto fabric & then stitched to enhance it further.

No:  1 in he QuiltTart series - same technique as above - these cards are so achieveable and such fun to do.

MailArt - Flood Art

This is the latest in my 'Flood Art' - damaged photos, rescued & cleaned by a friend, now enhanced with stitching and finding new life as Mail Art.  Had it not been for Merody & Mark, these would have ended up being thrown out & I wouldn't have found a new art form.

Craft Fair

Went to the Craft Fair on Sunday - you may have noticed that this isn't a photo of the Fair.  My eldest son works at the Convention Centre as a rigger - that's him high up in the ceiling getting ready to hang lights for the next exhibition in Hall 2.  It's something parents don't always get to see - their children at work - he loves the heights. I did take some photos of the Queensland Quilters Challenge Exhibition http://www.qldquilters.com/ - but thought it might be better to check them all out on their site.  However, there aren't any photos of the current exhibition up as yet but there are photos of others.  Managed to start renewing my libary of quilting books at the show.

WIP (Works in Progress)

The latest block finished for my Aussie Antique Quilt - that's No: 6.

All six completed blocks (except for a little bit of embroidery) on my design wall in HerShed.  My design wall is a flannel backed vinyl table cloth with a hem large enough to fit a piece of wood & it sits on top of the cupboard - rolled up when not in use.  Works fine for me!

Mail Art arrived from USA

Thanks, Sue, for this piece - love to give & of course, receive - it is sooooo much fun!

Backyard - 2 months after flood

Not quite as lush looking as the photo at the beginning of my blog - but the garden is trying.  HofM is the gardener - with all the wet weather we've been having the weeds are getting away from him and we haven't done a lot with the garden yet but it is slowly trying to recover all by itself.  The bromeliads just look great in amongst the muddy looking leaves - one day the leaves will all be green too.

HerShed

It's starting to feel like home.  Most of the material is back (thank you Margaret for looking after my 'children' so well - she cleaned them all)  Just a couple of things needed - a comfortable chair & a mat for the floor.  I had the weekend away at a retreat with 16 lovely ladies who helped me a little bit more along the road to normality.  Not everything is back in order - things are still missing & I guess I'll keep finding more things missing as the days go by.  Each day brings a "oh - that's gone too!"  Guess that will lessen with time.  Thanks to all who have helped me & HofM with the recovery journey - we still have a way to go as do many, many others.

New Quilt

The first block in a new quilt.  I am reproducing an antique quilt from Annette Gero's book "Fabric of Society". http://www.annettegero.com/ There are 20 applique blocks around a crazy patch centre. I'm not doing the crazy patch but am throughly enjoying the applique but think I will be over berries/circles by the time I'm finished.
Those foxgloves were fun (?) to do - am just finishing Block No: 6 with MORE foxgloves.  This quilt may be finished in a year or three.

More Mailart

A piece of MailArt - the country of Slovenia - from Julie (Okama) in Florida, USA. Am looking forward to the postman coming each day now!

Postcrossing

Received this yesterday from Kiev in the Ukraine - so much better than receiving bills all the time.

Lunch at Manly

Niece & her husband were up from Sydney last weekend.  He has been with us for 2 weeks building the HerShed and new laundry.  We went down to Manly for lunch & went for a walk afterwards (really needed to walk off the food) and although the markets were winding down, this sabre tooth tiger was still up & providing entertainment for the children.  It's a slide - the slide is inside the mouth, you climb up one side & slide down the other.  Have never seen one like it. It's quite large.

Postcards & MailArt

Today I received this precious postcard from a dear friend - this quilt was made in 1988 and the postcard signed by the designer, Jean Cooper - really special.

My first piece of MailArt from a fellow Aussie - water colour streetscape - thank you Jenny.

Another piece of MailArt from Iowa City, USA - from a Superhero, even.



HerShed is almost finished!

The final piece to go on to the door, that will stop the rain dripping on to my new floor.

We left the door as is, but had to get a new key cut for the very old lock.  That was a journey in itself - once HofM opended up the lock, we found all manner of evidence of insects and leaves.

Waiting to be filled.  The floor is being oiled over the next couple of days & then I will start filling those shelves and using my new space.

Flood Art of a different sort

This house was completed inundated during the floods - I think the Pink Panther is making a comment on the goverment & insurance companies.  His friends have been providing him with liquid refreshment.

Taken from another angle & he's just a little over the limit!